'It’s ours': Kwikwetlem First Nation on future of Riverview Hospital site
The redevelopment planning process was quietly halted earlier this year, and now the Kwikwetlem First Nation is speaking up about what they’d like to see happen on the land where the Riverview Hospital operated for a century.
With a history spanning thousands of years, representatives say the 244-acre parcel sits squarely in their core, ancestral and unceded territory in Coquiltam.
“It's ours, we want to come home,” said George Chaffee, a councillor and knowledge keeper with the KFN. “Our voice has been missing not just here, but through the whole watershed for almost 120 years. My community’s watched it as it's transformed and had no say in what it looked like.”
That began to change in 2012 after the closure of the hospital when the KFN got a seat at the table with a parallel master planning process for future re-development of the site and a big voice in the consultation process, but shifted dramatically in 2021: the Kwikwetlem inked an agreement making them equal partners with the provincial government, formally renaming the area Sumeqwuela in the process.
When CTV News asked what the nation wanted to see done with the lands and whether they wanted sections of the site turned over to them, the entire parcel, or some other arrangement, Chaffee said that’s undecided.
“The community’s never been asked these questions before and it’s something the community is working on right now,” he said. ”We are talking to our elders, we are talking to our community that’s there and we are talking about the future that’s here with BC Housing but that journey’s just starting.”
A HISTORY SPANNING MILLENIA
BC Housing has acknowledged the Indigenous history on the site spans thousands of years and Kwikwetlem leaders say despite the gap during the hospital years, there are still ties to Sumiqwuela, which means “Place of the Great Blue Heron” in their language.
“It was a place where there was refuge and resource and so many different things,” explained Chief Ed Hall.
While berry picking, hunting, and lumber retrieval happened in recent memory, historically the community would harvest plants for medicinal, spiritual and decorative purposes and seek out cedar trees that didn’t grow in the floodplains where the community currently has offices. Cedar was used in the production of textiles, ornamentation, canoes and structures, but it’s not clear if anyone consistently lived at Sumiqwuela.
“When the land got cleared (for the Hospital for the Mind at Mount Coquitlam), it may have disturbed old archaeological sites and whatnot and archaeology back then didn’t have as much of a regulation to it as it does nowadays,” said Hall, who added the location high above the floodplain means it has always been a place of refuge during flooding events and times of war.
Hall is greatly encouraged by the Indigenous artwork slowly being incorporated into upgrades on the Simqwuela grounds, including the Red Fish Healing Centre, which was named in honour of the nation.
A HIGH-PROFILE MATTER OF RECONCILIATION
The partnership agreement and how BC Housing proceeds with the KFN at Sumiqwuela on behalf of the province will come with considerable scrutiny, and not just because there continue to be calls to repurpose the hospital building still in good condition for housing or treatment for those struggling with severe mental illness and addiction.
It also represents a high-profile and urban reconciliation effort in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, which the provincial government signed last year.
“It took us centuries to end up where we are and there’s been harm done in that process, there’s been injustices done in that century, and it takes time to be able to understand how we can move forward,” said BC Housing Semiqwuela Land Development Director, Lauren English. “Any changes on site will be considered through Kwikwetlem First Nations and BC Housing’s partnership. As of today there’s nothing proposed.”
Chaffee described the process as hard, but worthwhile with great progress made already.
“I think working together with new partners in this way shows the rest of the province this is the way you do this,” he said. “This is how you walk together.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Judge says 'no evidence fully supports' murder case against Umar Zameer as jury starts deliberations
The judge presiding over the trial of a man accused of fatally running over a Toronto police officer is telling jurors the possible verdicts they may reach based on the evidence in the case.
Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say
Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering 'moderate to severe' levels of subsidence, putting millions at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn't over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball's highest scorer Caitlin Clark's first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
'Shopaholic' author Sophie Kinsella reveals brain cancer diagnosis
Sophie Kinsella, the best-selling author behind the 'Shopaholic' book series, has revealed that she is receiving treatment for brain cancer.